Mango Days: A Teenager Facing Eternity Reflects on the Beauty of Life

Most teenagers think of themselves as indestructible. Patty Smith, 17, had no reason to feel otherwise. When a lump on her arm proves not to be benign, life becomes fragile, finite and precious. How Patty responds could well stand as a model of how we would want to react in similar circumstances. Patty's story is told through journal entries, sketches, poems and letters to a best friend. Anyone of any age facing serious illness, as well as families and friends, will find encouragement in her words and in the Latin phrase Patty quoted often: "Carpe diem"--seize the day!